“The young bullpen pitchers had a good experience”
KT Wiz will face off against Doosan Bears in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 10th. This game is KT’s last game of the regular season. Among the 10 teams, they are the first to complete 144 games.
If KT catches Doosan, it can secure second place on its own and then start preparing for the playoffs.
KT coach Lee Kang-cheol said, “If we win today and secure second place, the pitchers are exhausted and will have enough time to recover,” and added, “(Go) Young-pyo is sick and (Wes) Benjamin is not feeling well. (Eom) Sang-baek can also come back. “It’s the same. When I come back, I will be able to play starting baseball.”
KT played 9 consecutive games from the 1st to the 8th, including a double header against the KIA Tigers. In a situation where the starting rotation could not be operated normally, the team set out to secure second place with five wins.
Manager Lee Kang-cheol said, "If we look at the positive side of the situation with the starting pitchers missing, Son Dong-hyun and Sang-dong Lee have gained a lot of good experience. I think they have gone through the process of being able to last as bullpen pitchers for a long time not only this year, but also next year and the year after." "Kim Young-hyun also improved a lot since he was promoted to the first team for the first time this season. I think he gained good experience. In that sense, I think it was a year where the young bullpen team had a good time. Son Dong-hyun, Lee Sang-dong, and Kim Young-hyun have grown a lot, so I hope this year's “I think the season has come to this point well,” he said.
He continued, "I think next year will be better if we finish well until today, prepare for the postseason, and gain experience." Looking at the case of (Park) Young-hyun, he performed well in the postseason last year and then performed well this year. “I think experience has a big impact,” he added.
After finishing the game today, KT will begin preparations for the postseason. Coach Lee Kang-cheol said, "The postseason schedule has been released. It will be clearly determined based on the results of today's game. If we lose today, we have to watch the results of the next game. That's why I want to win and make a decision quickly and prepare for the postseason. There is no tomorrow." Therefore, I plan to use as many pitchers as possible today.”
KT is assigned Kim Sang-soo (shortstop) - Hwang Jae-gyun (third baseman) - Anthony Alford (left fielder) - Park Byeong-ho (first baseman) - Jang Seong-woo (catcher) - Kang Baek-ho (designated hitter) - Jo Yong-ho (right fielder) - Shin Bon-ki (second baseman) - The batting lineup was organized in the order of center fielder. The starting pitcher is Jo Yi-hyun.
